Hamas says deadly Gaza blast an accident

Gaza: Hamas said on Friday that an explosion that killed eight Palestinians in the Gaza Strip was an accident that occurred as fighters prepared to carry out a bomb attack.

Hamas initially blamed Thursday's explosion on an Israeli air strike, but the Israeli military denied involvement.

The blast flattened the two-storey house of Hamas bomb-maker Ahmed Hamouda in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.

Six Hamas fighters, a four-month-old girl and a civilian were killed. One of the six men died of his wounds on Friday.

"An error occurred and led to the explosion and they were martyred," said Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the Izz El Deen Al Qassam Brigade, Hamas's armed wing.

The brigade said in a statement the fighters were putting the final touches to what they called a "special jihadi mission".